Taxidermists mount animal head skins over molded animal head mannikins, such as deer head mannikins, and secure the result to a wall plaque or the like for use as a trophy.
Currently, these molded mannikins, usually of light-weight polyurethane foam material, do not have artificial eyes attached thereto. These mannikins have very large eye socket cavities into each of which the taxidermist must: mount centrally therein the artificial eye; make and mount eye-surrounding anatomy contour features, usually of modeling clay; and, if the eye is of the elongated pupil type, such as with deer, rotate the eye to a proper orientation for correct and natural appearance. The positioning and securing of the eye in correct position, and the forming of the correct eye-surrounding anatomical contour features, is demanding of considerable time and skill.
This invention provides a molding method for making a molded animal head mannikin which has the eyes insert-molded therein in correct position and rotational orientation and has correct eye-surrounding anatomy features, all as an integral part of the molded mannikin.